The present invention relates generally to a cushioning element that is adapted to be mounted onto an article to provide cushioning therefor. More particularly, the cushioning element of the present invention contains a flowable particulate filling material. The present invention further relates to a cushioning article that includes such a cushioning element to provide cushioning such as for a comfortable grip and/or shock absorption.
Grip and shock absorption elements are commonly used on various articles to provide a cushioning effect. More particularly, grip elements have been designed for placement on the gripping portion of hand-held articles to increase comfort during gripping of the hand-held article. Because grip and shock absorption elements are provided to address different problems or user needs, a variety of different grip and shock absorption elements with different properties are available.
For instance, for purposes of increased comfort to users who grip a handheld article very tightly, grip elements of soft foam have been provided to permit ready deformation of the grip element and resulting enhanced comfort during gripping thereof. In recent years, grip elements filled with fluid or gel materials have become popular as well. However, due to the nature of such grip elements, they tend to rebound to their initial shapes once the compressing force is released. Therefore, when using hand-held articles with any of these deformable grip elements, the user has to hold the grip element continuously and tightly in order to retain the desired deformed shape, which is the user""s comfortable grip configuration. The continuous and tight holding of the grip element can easily fatigue the user""s hand and fingers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,581 to Chadwick et al. discloses a customizable gripping device. The gripping device employs a controllable fluid that is capable of changing its state from fluid to solid upon the application of an appropriate energy field. When the controllable fluid is in its fluid state and thus is deformable, the user is free to imprint a customized grip in the gripping device. When the controllable fluid changes to its solid state thereafter, the customized grip is xe2x80x9cfrozenxe2x80x9d and the user""s grip is xe2x80x9cmemorized.xe2x80x9d As a result, the user need not keep gripping the article tightly to retain the customized grip. However, the Chadwick et al. patent involves an additional activating assembly for applying a field to the controllable fluid to change its rheological behavior.
It would be desirable to provide a grip element that not only can readily deform to provide a comfortable grip for the user but also can retain the desired deformed shape, which is the user""s comfortable grip configuration, without the need of applying a continuous compressing force thereonto. It would also be desirable for such grip element to maintain the desired deformed shape without application of an energy field thereto.
The present invention relates to a cushioning element which is adapted to be mounted onto an article to provide cushioning therefor. The cushioning element of the present invention comprises an encasing member at least partially defining a filling chamber filled with flowable particulate matter. The present invention further comprises a mounting member adapted to mount the encasing member onto an article to be gripped. According to the present invention, at least a portion of the encasing member is deformable and the particulate matter within the filling chamber is thereby capable of flowing inside the filling chamber upon the application of a deforming force on the deformable portion of the encasing member.
The particulate matter can be any non-fluid, and/or non-gel material that is capable of freely flowing within the filling chamber upon the application of a compressing force on the deformable portion of the encasing member. The type and quantity of the particulate matter, as well as the size and shape of the individual particles thereof, can be determined according to the specific application of the cushioning element.
The deformable portion of the encasing member can be made of a material capable of deforming in response to a deforming force applied thereto. Preferably, the deformable portion is made of a pliable material so that it can yield to the deforming force along with the flowable particulate matter. As a result, the deformable portion may, along with the flowable particulate matter, provide a cushioning effect, such as a comfortable grip or shock absorption. The area, size, and thickness of the deformable portion can be determined according to the specific application of the cushioning element.
The cushioning element of the present invention is intended to be used with an article to provide a cushioning effect upon gripping the cushioning element on the article. One application of the cushioning element is to provide a comfortable grip for hand-held articles, such as writing instruments, razors, toothbrushes, utensils, and tools. The cushioning element can also provide a comfortable cushioning for such articles as splints or seatings. In addition, the cushioning element can provide shock absorption for articles which transmit impact to the user, such as impact tools (e.g., hammers), various sports equipments (e.g., helmets, knee pads, and rackets), and motor-driven devices (e.g., power drills or motorcycles). For each application, the cushioning element is constructed accordingly to fit onto a given article to provide an appropriate cushioning effect during use of the article.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, the scope of the invention being set out in the appended claims.